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Cop union hands out opioid-abuse bulletins at ferry

By Maura Grunlund

Above and below: Members of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association handed out informational bulletins about opioid addiction to State Island Ferry riders at the St. George Terminal during the Wednesday morning rush hour. (Photos by Maura Grunlund)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Members of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association handed out informational bulletins about opioid addiction at the St. George Terminal during the Wednesday morning rush hour.

NYPD officers who have saved lives with the opioid antidote Narcan/naloxone were among those distributing the community safety bulletins to commuters heading to the Staten Island Ferryboats, Staten Island Railway trains and MTA buses on Wednesday morning at the bustling transit hub.

The bulletins contained information about opioid abuse prevention and resources of people with addiction issues.

The bulletins also were mailed to households on Staten Island's South Shore.

"For New York City police officers, this is personal," said PBA President Patrick J. Lynch. "All of us have seen, up close, the damage that opioids can cause within families and entire communities. We have already saved hundreds of lives out on the street using life-saving drugs, but that alone will not end this crisis.

"We must tackle this problem at the ground level by working with our neighbors to stop the spread of these drugs and prevent overdoses from happening altogether.

"This crisis impacts every New Yorker, which is why we are reaching out to the neighborhoods that are hardest hit and doing our part."